Oman's SalamAir expanding presence in Pakistan
Oman’s SalamAir is poised for an extensive
expansion of its South Asia network as it enhances direct connectivity between
Oman and Pakistan in the upcoming weeks.
The airline has officially announced the
commencement of a new route between Muscat International Airport and Peshawar's
Bacha Khan International Airport, starting from October 2. This route will
operate twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, utilizing Airbus A320neo
aircraft. Reservations are now open for this 1,073-mile (932-nautical mile)
service.
Peshawar, the sixth-largest city in Pakistan
with a population of over 2.3 million, is located in the northwest of the
country. Presently, it has a single nonstop link to Oman through Pakistan
International Airlines' twice-weekly service to Muscat.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data,
SalamAir has plans to further strengthen its presence in Pakistan by
introducing four new routes and increasing frequencies on three existing ones
in October. However, reservations for these additional services are yet to
open.
Bahrain’s
Gulf Air to start operations to several cities of Pakistan
Turkiye’s
airline granted permission to begin operations in Pakistan
Wizz
Air Abu Dhabi to begin operations in Pakistan
The latest schedules indicate that the low-cost
carrier (LCC) intends to initiate flights connecting Muscat to Islamabad from
October 1, with a frequency of five times per week. Flights to Lahore and
Quetta in southwestern Pakistan are slated to begin two days later, followed by
service to Faisalabad from October 5. SalamAir's plans include operating three
roundtrip flights per week to Lahore, and two flights per week to Quetta and
Faisalabad.
Moreover, the frequencies on SalamAir's
existing routes to Karachi, Multan, and Sialkot are also set to increase. While
they presently operate three times a week, Karachi and Sialkot are expected to
escalate to five times a week, and Multan to four times a week.
SalamAir initiated flights to Pakistan in
December 2017, initially serving Karachi and Sialkot, and adding Multan two
months later. The airline also conducted a limited number of repatriation
flights to Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar during the pandemic.
Given the substantial Pakistani community
residing in Oman, estimated to exceed 200,000 individuals, SalamAir's new
services are likely to attract flows of visiting friends and relatives (VFR)
traffic and migrant labor.
Source: https://aviationweek.com/